Governor Pat McCrory helps kick-off North Carolina's Centennial Commemoration of World War I

At Saturday's ceremony at the State Capitol, Governor Pat McCrory applauded the role North Carolina played in World War I.

In all, our state sent 86,457 soldiers overseas as part of the war efforts. But as the governor pointed out, that fight came with a price. By the end of the war, North Carolina had lost 2,377 men to battlefields and disease and saw another 3,655 return home wounded.

"The war's centennial commemoration and this ceremony present an important opportunity for North Carolinians to reflect upon the valor of those who answered their country's call 100 years ago," McCrory said.

The ceremony included remarks from state officials, along with re-enactors who were on hand afterward to answer any questions the crowd might have had about the war and what day-to-day life was like for soldiers.

"I think people need to understand what these people went through for our country, whether it's World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the struggles they went through, the sacrifices they made," pointed out Navy Veteran Ed Kearney.

He and his wife were just two of the many who attended the ceremony.

"I couldn't wait to get here because I had a grandfather who fought in World War I, so I've heard the stories," remarked Marlene Kearney. "He was in the Army, and he came from Czechoslovakia as a young boy to the United States."

The next commemorative event will be held at the Dorton Arena during this year's State Fair.